Interview with Pauric O'Meara

Interview with Pauric O'Meara

Let's just say if The Voice of Ireland was judged on first auditions, I would already have my winner. Pauric O'Meara's simply breathtaking performance of 'Maniac 2000' blew the nation away, including myself.

I recently chatted to the up and coming Tipperary native about that audition and what he hopes to gain from the show!

Firstly though, I'm always curious when I interview artists who part-take in music competitions as to how they went about auditioning - Pauric's family were a clear influence!

"For the last few years my parents and my sister have been urging me to go for it, so this year my sister didn't give me an option. I wasn't hesitant because I've been gigging for the last few years and saw this as a great platform to build myself as a musician."

"To be honest, I only remembered how the audition really went when it was on TV because I was in a genuine state of shock while I was on stage. Words can't describe how I felt after each chair turned. I walked on stage knowing no matter what the outcome would be I would be proud of myself for getting to this stage, and I knew I'd give it my best. I'm not one to suffer with nerves, but when the chairs started turning I got a bit nervous because they were all looking at me perform!"

If you haven't already seen the performance, trust me, you are missing out, so I would advise you to check it out here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoDfPv94bIc. After his audition, with all four judges (Kian Egan, Una Foden, Rachel Stevens and Niall Breslin) turned, Pauric opted to go for Bressie.

"I chose Bressie because of his abilities as a musician and his song writing skills. My long term goal is to be a successful singer/songwriter, and most importantly to be my own artist and have my own style, and I think it's fair to say Bressie will help me strive towards this dream and make it a reality"

I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that the internet literally 'blew up' here in Ireland after Pauric's audition was aired on RTE last Sunday week. People were quick to take to social media in order to share the video with their friends and praise his outstanding performance.

"If you ask anyone who knows me, it's hard to shut me up, but the reaction and support I received left me speechless. I had a feeling I was going to get some sort of a reaction because of the song choice, but I had no idea it was going to be extreme as it has been. The last week has been one of the best of my life so far and I'd like to thank everyone who has made it like this. From YouTube views to Facebook shares, words can't describe how much it means."

Next up on The Voice is the 'Battles' and Pauric hopes that he will receive the same level of support from the general public but admits that he is remaining grounded and living in the moment.

"Next up is the Battles. I'm not really one to look past what's laying in front of me, so I'm taking each day as it comes and enjoying it to the last, I've wanted this for a long time and I'm not going to let it pass by me easily. If I get through the battles, the live shows will begin then where I'll hopefully be looking to everyone to support me with votes, but we'll deal with that when it comes to it! I'm loving the experience so far and just hope it keeps on getting better and better for me. I'm excited for people to hear more from me, some people have been saying that I'm a one trick pony and the song choice is what saved me, but all they have to do is stay tuned to the show and they won't be disappointed."

He certainly comes across as a charismatic and determined artist but this is what he feels he can bring to the competition.

"A personality and ambition that few people have. I'm the type of person who stays grounded at all times and doesn't over think situations, I'd like to think I'm a calm person who helps keep the mood positive. As for my ambition and long-term goal for this show, I don't want to be a carbon copy of another artist that already exists. I want to be known for the type of artist and musician that I am. I'm a risk taker and will work hard to ensure that my risks pay off."

I know who my money is on already.

EOIN!